American English. 



357 



by a writer in Lippincott's Magazine for March, 1869, as peculiar to 

 Carbon County, Pa. I have heard it in Albany. 



Solid-colored — All of the same color. This expression, very common 

 among breeders of Jersey cattle, and also used, 1 believe, in the dry- 

 goods trade, may not be an Americanism perhaps, but no dictionary 

 defines it. 



Sjiilth — in the sense of street mud. This occurs in a story called 

 "Alice Brand," by A. G-. Riddle, published by the Appletons of New- 

 York in 1875, page 259. 



Super. Bartlett says tliis is a contraction of " superintendent of 

 factories, theatres," etc. What the super" of a factory may be, if 

 there is an official so called, I do not know ; but the super,'' or, as 

 he is commonly called, the "supe" at a theatre, is certainly by no 

 means a superintendent, but a supernumerary. 



Tenderfoot — A new arrival from civilization in the wild regions of 

 the far West — see Scribner's Monthly, vol. 18, p. 815. Not in the 

 dictionaries. There is a post-office called Tenderfoot" in Custer 

 County, Dakota. 



Wliiskey. It is perhaps to Mr. Bartlett's credit that lie does not 

 seem to be very well " up" on the varieties of this popular beverage, 

 as he remarks that " Bourbon whiskey is the best, being made of rye." 

 As to the question of Bourbon's being the best, there may be differ- 

 ences of opinion ; our Scotch and Irish friends, to say nothing of 

 others, would perhaps dissent from the lexicographer's judgment ; but 

 as to Bourbon's being made of rye, we must all take exception to that 

 statement, the fact being, I believe, that Bourbon never contains more 

 than one-third of rye, and seldom as much as that. 



To these genuine Americanisms may be added a few scientific or 

 pseudo-scientific words, such as pli07ioyrapli, j^liotoplione^ audiplione and 

 lysimeter. Teleplione, as may not be generally known, is, like telegraphy 

 much older than the apparatus that we now call by these terms ; the 

 original telegraph was a semaphore, and the original telephone, I be- 

 lieve, a speaking trumpet. And if time permitted, and the game 

 were worth the candle, a numerous list of curious names of places, of 

 American invention, might be compiled from the Post-Office Directory. 

 Mr. Bartlett has done something at this, in his preface ; but he failed 

 to notice Why Not, Autumn Leaves, Bird-in-Hand and Youngwo- 

 manstown, Pa.; Bogus, Fiddletown, Hay Fork, Port Wine and Yankee 

 Jim's, Cal; Nola Chucky, Jim Ned, Mouse Tail, A. B. C. and tJ Bet, 

 Tenn.; Long Year and The Corner, N. Y.; Hash Knife and Mud 

 Creek, Texas; Star of the West, Sub Eosa and Gum Log, Ark.; Non 

 Intervention, Va.; Quashquetown, Iowa ; Medybemps, Me.; Rooster 

 Rock, Oregon; Look Out, Dak.; Rabbit Hash, Ky.; Ty Ty, Geo.; 

 Zig, Mo.; Skull Valley, Ariz.; Greenhorn, Left Hand, Ni Wot and 

 0. Z., Col.; T. B., Md., and scores of other oddities that might be men- 



